Antenna apparatus

• US 8,482,474 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Baba, Junnei, Ashizuka, Tetsuya, Ootsuka, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US12/992,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 343/795, 343/797, 343/803, 343/804, 343/816, 343/820, 343/821
• US Class Current: 343/795
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/52 Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure absorbing means H01Q17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/00 Arrangements for simultaneous operation of antennas on two or more different wavebands, e.g. dual-band or multi-band arrangements combinations of separate active antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system H01Q21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/321 within a radiating element or between connected radiating elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/328 between a radiating element and ground
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/335 at the feed, e.g. for impedance matching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/16 with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/20 Two collinear substantially straight active elements; Substantially straight single active elements H01Q9/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/27 Spiral antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence

Abstract

An antenna apparatus that can be miniaturized without causing inference caused by antenna currents to be occurred if the high band of a dual band wireless system is close to the band of another wireless system in a wireless communication apparatus incorporating the dual band wireless system and another wireless system is provided. A first switch 5 blocks passage of a signal of a high band (first frequency) and allows passage of a signal of a low band (second frequency). A second switch 6 blocks passage of a signal of the low band (second frequency) and allows passage of a signal of the high band (first frequency). Accordingly, the antenna apparatus operates as a dipole antenna with no antenna current flowing into a feeder line at the first frequency and operates as a monopole antenna wherein a radiation element and a feeder line making up the dipole antenna becomes a radiation element at the second frequency lower than the first frequency.

Claims

1. An antenna apparatus, comprising:

a dipole antenna including a first radiation element and a second radiation element, each having a quarter wavelength of a first frequency;

a high-frequency circuit for conducting communications of a high frequency signal;

a ground portion corresponding to the high-frequency circuit;

a signal conductor which connects the dipole antenna to the high-frequency circuit and the ground portion, the signal conductor having a length where the sum total of the length of the first radiation element and the length of the signal conductor, and the sum total of the length of the second radiation element and the length of the signal conductor become a quarter wavelength of a second frequency, respectively;

a first switch for blocking passage of a signal of the first frequency and allowing passage of a signal of the second frequency; and

a second switch for allowing passage of the signal of the first frequency and blocking passage of the signal of the second frequency.

2. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the signal conductor includes a first conductor which connects the dipole antenna to the high-frequency circuit, and a second conductor which connects the dipole antenna to the ground portion,

wherein the first switch is connected between the first conductor and the second conductor, and

wherein the second switch is connected between the second conductor and the ground portion.

3. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the signal conductor includes a first conductor which connects the dipole antenna to the high-frequency circuit, and a second conductor which connects the dipole antenna to the ground portion,

wherein the first switch is connected between the first conductor and the second conductor, and

wherein the second switch is connected between the second conductor and the dipole antenna.

4. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first switch is implemented as a parallel resonant circuit whose resonance frequency is set to the first frequency.

5. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second switch is implemented as a parallel resonant circuit whose resonance frequency is set to the second frequency.

6. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the signal conductor is provided in a linear shape.

7. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the signal conductor is provided to be bent at a right angle.

8. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the signal conductor is a strip line.

9. The antenna apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the signal conductor is a coaxial line.

10. An antenna apparatus, comprising:

a first dipole antenna;

a second dipole antenna;

a board formed with a conductor pattern, the board having a board face and one side-end intersecting with the board face;

first and second feeder lines which connect the conductor pattern on a side of the one side-end of the board to feeding points of the first and second dipole antennas, respectively;

a first radiation element joined to the feeding point of the first dipole antenna; and

a second radiation element joined to the feeding point of the second dipole antenna,

wherein the feeding points of the first and second dipole antennas are disposed on the same plane in which the board face is outwardly extended from the one side-end of the board,

wherein the first and second radiation elements are disposed in respective perpendicular planes orthogonal to both the board face and the one side-end of the board, and are placed facing each other so that mutual axial directions of the first and second radiation elements are orthogonal to each, other, and

wherein the axis of the first radiation element is placed so as to be inclined at an angle larger than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees with respect to a line parallel to the board face and orthogonal to the one side-end of the board.

11. The antenna apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the angle larger than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees is 45 degrees.

12. The antenna apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein either or both of a connection end part of the first feeder line to the feeding point of the first dipole antenna and a connection end part of the second feeder line to the feeding point of the second dipole antenna are disposed in parallel with the one side-end of the board.

13. The antenna apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein either or both of the first feeder line and the second feeder line are unbalanced lines, and a balanced-unbalanced transformer is connected to the feeding point of the corresponding dipole antenna in which the feeder line is the unbalanced line.

14. The antenna apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein a notch provided by deleting the conductor pattern is provided at a position where the elevation angle viewing the first dipole antenna becomes equal to the elevation angle viewing the second dipole antenna from the side of the one side-end of the board.

15. The antenna apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein either or both of the first feeder line and the second feeder line are formed of printed lines.

16. The antenna apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the first or second feeder line includes a Cold side conductor feed line connected to ground of a high-frequency circuit provided on the board and a Hot side conductor feed line not connected to the ground,

wherein at least one of the dipole antennas includes a plus radiation element connected to the Hot side conductor feed line and a minus radiation element connected to the Cold side conductor feed line, and

wherein each of the plus radiation element and the minus radiation element has a linear part connected to the corresponding conductor feed line connected to each of the radiation elements and a helical part provided in an end part not connected to the conductor feed line.

17. The antenna apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein, in at least one of the dipole antennas, the helical direction of the helical part is formed so that energy for the helical part for receiving a reflected wave and energy for the linear part to receive the reflected wave cancel each other, the reflected wave produced as a transmission wave from the other dipole antenna is reflected on another component existing in the vicinity of a midpoint on the path to the dipole antenna having the linear part and the helical part.

18. The antenna apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the length of the helical part when the helical part is made linear is shorter than that of the linear part.

19. The antenna apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the maximum diameter of the helical part of one dipole antenna is shorter than the linear part of the other dipole antenna.

20. The antenna apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the plus radiation element is attached to the board so that the helical part thereof is disposed away from the board, and the minus radiation element is attached to the board so that the helical part thereof is brought close to the board, and

wherein each of the helical parts is formed so that the winding direction of the helical part become dextral (clockwise) in the direction starting from and away from the end part side not connected to the feeder line of the linear part when viewed from the connection side with the feeder line of the linear part.

21. The antenna apparatus according to claim 20,

wherein the length of the helical part when the helical part is made linear is shorter than the length of the linear part.

22. The antenna apparatus according to claim 20,

wherein the maximum diameter of the helical part of one dipole antenna is shorter than the length of the linear part of the other dipole antenna.

23. The antenna apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the plus radiation element is attached to the board so that the helical part thereof is brought close to the board, and the minus radiation element is attached to the board so that the helical part thereof is disposed away from the board, and

wherein each of the helical parts is formed so that the winding direction of the helical part become sinistral (counterclockwise) in the direction starting from and away from the end part side not connected to the feeder line of the linear part when viewed from the connection side with the feeder line of the linear part.

24. The antenna apparatus according to claim 23,

wherein the length of the helical part when the helical part is made linear is shorter than the length of the linear part.

25. The antenna apparatus according to claim 23,

wherein the maximum diameter of the helical part of one dipole antenna is shorter than the length of the linear part of the other dipole antenna.